A Touch of Blue
by Son Rhandi
Summary: One-shot. After years of friendship and a good stay of living together, Jeice is shocked when Berter announces that he's moving out, leaving him to wonder if he had anything to do with his decision...


_Disclaimer: I make no claim to DBZ. I'm just funnin' with the characters for a while. _

**"A Touch of Blue"**

**By Son Rhandi**

It had started off well enough, really. Berter was having trouble finding a new roommate for the rented house in which he lived, and he had wanted to get out of his hovel of an apartment, anyway, so he figured why not and offered to rent the room and serve both their interests. Really, the scenario couldn't have been better. They had always been the best of friends, and for those first few months, after the initial awkward weeks of stepping on toes and learning to compromise, they were genuinely happy. The days were left to work, and that was fine, and the nights were left to their fun, drinking and movies and games and generally just being young men.

So when it happened, Jeice wondered what he could have done differently to prevent it.

He wondered if it was about the socks… He was always leaving his socks around the house. Berter was a bit of a neat freak and whenever he would chide him about it, Jeice would just dismiss him. _This wouldn't be happening if I'd been more respectful…_

Or maybe it was him leaving lights and electronics on in rooms he wasn't in. Their electric bill **did** get a tad heavy some months, and he **did** know Berter's hours had been cut, so he wasn't bringing in as much income. _This wouldn't be happening if I'd been more considerate…_

Or maybe, just maybe, it was Jeice himself that was the problem. He had sensed… a sort of distance that had settled itself between them. Really, it had started out at a mere few inches, but it grew to a stone's throw and somehow, ballooned to a huge gap that he feared had grown too big to bridge. When Berter announced that he was moving out, he was shocked at first. When he asked why, and then got his answer, he was hurt, but hid it under an angry mask. They had been friends for so long, going at the same pace, but at some point, perhaps one too subtle to say where or when, Berter got ahead of him, and grew up just a little faster.

And when moving day came a few weeks down the road, the most he could do was let himself be swallowed by the living room couch and absorb himself in primetime television. He knew in his heart that he should be giving his years-long friend a hand with the move, but he also knew in his heart that doing so would only aid his flight faster. It wasn't as if he didn't notice Berter's occasional over-the-shoulder glances. His eyes shone with the hopefulness. He was certain of that. Up until the very last box, he held out that hope, but the help never came. His eyes belayed disappointment. He was certain of that, too.

"I… I'm all packed up now," Big Blue announced.

Jeice turned his head toward him while muting the TV. "Yeah?"

"I'm gonna stay the night here and head on out in the morning. I'm off tomorrow."

"All right. …You takin' the TV?"

Berter's brow furrowed. "Is that all you have to say?"

If ever there was a way to open up a proverbial can of worms, that way certainly worked. Jeice slammed the remote on the coffee table and turned to face him. "Man, Berter!" He shouted, throwing his arms up in frustration. "What did I **do**!?"

"Huh?"

"I just…" The red one sighed. "I just don't **get it**, mate. I mean, I **know **I ain't the greatest person t' live with, but I thought we were thicker than that!" He paused, contemplative. "…Aren't we thicker than that?"

The saurian's expression softened. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, as if thinking on the words he should use. "Jeice… It really isn't anything you've done. I just… don't really know where I am in my life right now, is all." He shrugged. "All I know is, I'm not happy, and I just need to set off on my own for a while. Besides what with my hours and all, things are getting a little too rich for my blood," he ended with a half-smile.

Jeice lowered his eyes. "I would have helped you…"

Berter's face faulted at that. He knelt to meet the shorter man and placed a massive paw on his shoulder. "I know you would have. If money were the only issue, it wouldn't be a big deal. It goes deeper than that, though. In the end, this is just me being selfish." He gave the same shoulder a good, single pat to reinforce his message, then rose. "Well, I'm beat. I'm gonna head off to bed. I'll be sure to give you my key before I leave tomorrow."

Red just shook his head. "Hold onto it."

Blue blinked then smiled warmly and ruffled Jeice's downy hair. Its owner pushed the paw away. "Ehhh, none of that now," he said with an aggressive little grin. Berter just had to laugh, and Jeice just had to join him. It had been a long time since they both shared a laugh. Much too long of a time, indeed.

He remembered their last laugh fondly in his spacious house, now seriously needing a touch of blue.


End file.
